Factors Enhancing Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Italian People Who Use Drugs: The CLEO-GRECAS Experience.

Introduction: We assessed the performance of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected people who use drugs (PWUDs) in terms of sustained virological response (SVR) and adherence rates in comparison to a location-matched cohort of non-PWUD HCV patients.

Methods: All consecutive HCV RNA-positive PWUDs were enrolled between 2015 and 2019. All subjects underwent DAA treatment according to international guidelines and then followed, at least, up to 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR12).

Comparison of broth dilution and semisolid agar dilution for in vitro susceptibility testing of Cryptococcus neoformans.

We compared the in vitro activity of amphotericin B, flucytosine, itraconazole, fluconazole, ketoconazole and miconazole against 18 strains of Cryptococcus neoformans by using two methods: microbroth dilution and semisolid agar dilution. By both of the methods minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) showed a wide range for all antifungal agents but not for amphotericin B. Statistically significant differences between the two methods were observed only with amphotericin B and flucytosine, p = 0.

Evaluation of a commercial DNA probe assay for the identification of Mycobacterium kansasii.

A commercially available DNA probe (the AccuProbe Mycobacterium kansasii culture identification test, Gen-Probe, USA) for the identification of Mycobacterium kansasii was tested on a panel of 143 fully characterized mycobacterial strains. The isolates included 70 Mycobacterium kansasii and 73 mycobacteria other than kansasii. The specificity was 100% while the sensitivity was 72.

Characterization of mesophilic Aeromonas from clinical specimens by computerized analysis of SDS-PAGE protein profiles and by enzymatic activity.

Mesophilic Aeromonas (Aeromonas hydrophila, Aeromonas sobria, Aeromonas caviae) have recently been considered important aetiological agents of human diseases, mainly gastrointestinal infections. Although several findings have pointed out the significance of this group of microorganisms as enteric pathogens and suggested the presence of virulence factors, epidemiological and clinical studies are limited by the difficulty of correctly identifying mesophilic Aeromonas at the species level. SDS-PAGE of radiolabelled total protein profiles and bacterial enzymatic activities were used to type 31 clinical isolates (6 A.